The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024: Best Men’s Player, FIFPro World XI, winner and date

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 6 Nov 2024 08:19 CST
• 11 min read

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2023 saw Lionel Messi win yet again, but attention has now turned to the 2024 edition of the ceremony.

FIFA no longer runs the prestigious Ballon d’Or prize, but it does now oversee its own in-house 'The Best FIFA Football Awards'; an event that is still a landmark ceremony every year.

The biggest prize on offer is the Best Men’s Player of the Year award, but there are also several other big honours handed out every year, including the FIFPro World XI, the Puskas Award for the best goal scored and the Best Women’s Player.

READ MORE: Who will win Ballon d’Or 2025? Shortlist, favourites, latest odds, date and past winners

Furthermore, recognition is also given to the top coaches in the men’s and women’s games.

Here at FootballTransfers, we have compiled everything you need to know ahead of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024.

What is the shortlist for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024?

The shortlist of potential winners will not be revealed until later in 2024.

Who are the favourites for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024?

Vinicius Jr is the favourite for The Best Men’s Player award in 2024 but faces strong competition from Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, as well as Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal and Dani Carvajal.

The winner of The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is usually a player who wins or shines deep in either the biggest international tournaments of the year, and/or the Champions League. In the summer of 2024, the European Championship and Copa America took place with Spain and Argentina emerging victorious, respectively.

Vinicius Jr is the favourite after being arguably Real Madrid's best player in their Champions League triumph, although Brazil disappointed at the Copa America.

The Brazilian missed out on the Ballon d'Or, suffering a shock defeat to Rodri. But he is expected to emerge victorious in the FIFA prize.

Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham enjoyed a sensational first season at Madrid and is a contender, but struggled at the Euros despite scoring a brilliant bicycle kick against Slovakia.

Madrid legend Toni Kroos is a romantic contender after retiring from football.

Spain's triumph at Euro 2024 has catapulted 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal as a potential contender for this prize. The same is the case for Ballon d'Or winner and Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament Rodri, as well as Nico Williams and Dani Carvajal.

Kylian Mbappe struggled at Euro 2024, as did Harry Kane, so this may count against them. But both enjoyed sensational domestic seasons for PSG and Bayern Munich, respectively.

Haaland has been penalised as Norway did not qualify for Euro 2024, while Man City were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter finals. He did continue to score for fun for City, though, as they won another Premier League.

Messi is unlikely to challenge after moving to Inter Miami but cannot be completely ruled out, especially after Argentina won the Copa America.

Lautaro was the best player in Serie A as Inter won the Scudetto, while he also top scored at the Copa America and scored the winner in the final. He is unlikely to win the award but could be a threat for the top places.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a prolific winner of this prize in the past but is not in the running this year, despite a goal-filled year with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Aitana Bonmati is the favourite to win The Best Women’s Player in 2024, although Salma Paralluelo and Alexia Putellas (her team-mates for both Barcelona and Spain) will hope to win the award too.

What are The Best FIFA Football Awards?

Following the 1990 World Cup in Italy, FIFA decided to launch its own ceremony to celebrate the best player in the world every year. It slowly gained traction, incorporating a women’s award in 2001 alongside several other trophies.

There are now nine awards, as well as a FIFPro Men’s and Women’s World XI. Those nine awards are: The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, FIFA Fair Play Award, FIFA Puskas Award, FIFA Fan Award, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper.

How are The Best FIFA Football Awards decided and who votes?

Unlike the Ballon d’Or traditionally, The Best FIFA Football Awards include fans in the voting process, giving the people a voice.

The voting for the FIFA Puskas Award, for example, sees fans vote online for one of the 11 finalists drawn up by a panel of experts, with a final trio then decided.

Fans are responsible for 50% of the votes cast, with a panel of football experts providing the other 50% to decide the eventual winner.

The FIFA Fan Award is entirely decided by fans, with no input from journalists, coaches or players when it comes to determining the winner. Three moments are chosen and fans vote online to ultimately decide the winner.

Fans also have the chance to cast their votes for The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper awards.

Fans can vote for their top three favourites per category, with first choice generating five points, second choice three points, and third choice one point.

Fans make up 25% of the vote, with the other 75% coming from national coaches of FIFA Member Associations, their team captains, and a select group of media from those countries.

The voting window is usually over a two-week period around a month before the awards ceremony.

When is The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 ceremony?

The exact date of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 ceremony has not been revealed yet. It will take place in January 2025, however.

The Best FIFA Football Awards are given based on performances over the calendar year of January to December, rather than the standard football season of August to May/June.

Thus, the ceremony takes place early in the new year every year.

Where is The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 ceremony?

The location for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 has not been announced yet. The 2023 awards ceremony took place in London, while the 2022 edition was hosted in Paris.

You can stream the event live on FIFA's website and YouTube channel.

What is The Best FIFA Men’s Player award?

The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is exactly that – the award given to the best men’s player of the given year.

It is voted on by a number of different groups of people within football and ultimately awarded after the shortening of an original shortlist.

Lionel Messi won the 2023 award.

What is The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award?

Similar to The Best FIFA Men’s Player, but solely for goalkeepers, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award celebrates the best player in between the sticks each calendar year, to give more recognition to a position that seldom wins individual prizes. The first award was handed out in 2017.

Ederson won the award in 2023.

What is The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award?

This award celebrates the work of the best coaches in world football, and it ultimately decides which manager is considered to have been the best over the past 12 months.

The 2023 award went to Pep Guardiola.

What is The Best FIFA Women’s Player award?

Just as with The FIFA Best Men’s Player, there is an award for the best female player each calendar year as well. It started in 2001, 10 years after the men’s award was introduced, and brings more recognition and attention to women’s football.

Aitana Bonmati is the reigning champion after winning the award in 2023.

There are also female awards for The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach and a FIFA FIFPro Women’s World XI.

What is the FIFA FIFPro Men’s World 11?

Since 2005, the world players’ union FIFPRO has asked professional footballers worldwide to select the best players in the game each calendar year, with over 25,000 players participating in the vote.

The goalkeeper, as well as the three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards who received the most votes are selected for the World 11. The remaining spot in the World 11 is assigned to the outfield player with the next highest number of votes who is not selected already.

The award celebrates the best 11 players in the world each year, and gives players who don’t have a realistic shot at winning the overall award, primarily defensive players, recognition for their work on the pitch.

Lionel Messi has the most appearances in the World 11 with 17, and he moved past Cristiano Ronaldo with his selection in the XI of 2021. Ronaldo has been included in 14 World XIs, while Sergio Ramos is next in terms of appearances, with 11.

Previous FIFPro Men’s Best XIs

2018: David de Gea (Manchester United); Dani Alves (PSG), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Luka Modric (Real Madrid), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Eden Hazard (Chelsea); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus), Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

2019: Alisson (Liverpool); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax/Juventus), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Marcelo (real Madrid); Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Frenkie de Jong (Ajax/Barcelona), Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

2020: Alisson (Liverpool); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich); Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Thiago (Bayern Munich/Liverpool), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)

2021: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan/PSG); David Alaba (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Ruben Dias (Manchester City); Jorginho (Chelsea), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund).

2022: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid); Achraf Hakimi (PSG), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Joao Cancelo (Man City/Bayern Munich); Bernardo Silva (Man City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Kevin de Bruyne (Man City); Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)

2023: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid); Kyle Walker (Man City), John Stones (Man City), Ruben Dias (Man City); Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Casemiro (Real Madrid/Man Utd), Kevin de Bruyne (Man City); Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Man City), Lionel Messi (PSG)

What is the FIFA Puskas Award?

Created in 2009 in honour of Real Madrid icon Ferenc Puskas, captain and star of the Hungary national team during the 1950s, the FIFA Puskas Award is handed out to the player judged to have scored the best goal of the year.

The criteria is: an aesthetically beautiful goal, awarded without distinction of championship, gender or nationality.

Guilherme Madruga won the 2023 FIFA Puskás Award.

What is the FIFA Fair Play Award?

The FIFA Fair Play award recognises exemplary behaviour that promotes fair play, sportsmanship and compassion in football. It can be awarded to a player, a coach, a team, fans or even entire footballing communities.

The winner in 2023 was the Brazil national team for their fight against racism.

What is the FIFA Fan Award?

The FIFA Fan award was created in 2016 and celebrates the best fan moment or event across the calendar year. The 2023 award was won by the Club Atletico Colon de Santa Fe fan who was spotted bottle-feeding his baby during a game.

Who will present The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony for 2024?

The presenters for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 ceremony have not been revealed yet.

Reshmin Chowdhury and Thierry Henry fronted the ceremony in 2023.

Ex-England international Jermaine Jenas and presenter Samantha Johnson were the hosts for 2022, while Jenas was accompanied by broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury in 2021.

Are The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d’Or the same?

No, they are not. The Ballon d’Or is a ceremony founded and run by France Football, whereas The Best FIFA Football Awards were founded and run by FIFA. They are two separate awards, although between 2010 and 2015, they merged together to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

They separated for 2016 and have remained two different awards since then. Before the merge, The Best FIFA Football Awards was known as FIFA World Player of the Year.